United We Stand
by WingsOfTheHeart19
Summary: One girl's world is turned upside down when she becomes hunted by the Templars, but will an unlikely person save her?
1. Chapter 1

_New York, September 21, 1776_

Shouts rang out and the sky soon was ablaze. Houses burning, windows breaking, the street was filled with screaming people. The fire seemed to jump from house to house, one street fine for a second and the next it was engulfed in flames. I was abruptly awoken by the smell of smoke and screams worse than anything I had ever heard. I threw open my door in a swift motion only to see the stairwell engulfed in flames and it traveling down the hallway to greet me. I had to get out of the house now! This was no time to panic, but unfortunately my room was on the second floor. My room grew brighter as the fire spread further down the hall, racing towards my room. I ran over to the window and threw it open. Thank God for the pile of laundry under my window, but that still wasn't going to protect me from breaking something.

_Stop thinking Lana, and just jump!_

I hopped up onto the sill, and leapt out of the burning house. The ground approached fast and I braced myself for the impact. Thankfully, when I landed, the wind was only knocked out of me once I hit the pile of clothes. I took a deep breath and got to my feet. I began sprinting for the street, the cool grass under my bare feet. Shouts continued to ring throughout the air, and I felt as if they would permanently be present in my mind. I finally reached the street; the dirt was flying in all directions from people scrambling for safety. I was suddenly pushed out of the way by a small portion of Red Coats that came marching through. That caught the attention of some of the people and they soon came rushing towards the Red Coats and began shouting,

"Lobsters!" "Here is the cause of the fire!" "The Lobsters started this madness!"

Soon enough fighting broke out between the small group of Patriots and the Red Coats, this wasn't uncommon, but since New York was part of the Crown's territory, like a few other northern colonies, riots weren't seen on a daily basis. I picked myself up off the ground, dusted off my skirt, and began running in the opposite direction, towards safety.

Finally, when my legs would carry me no further and my lungs burned, I stopped to catch my breath. Although I was tired, I was safe; this part of town hadn't been touched by the fire. I began to breathe normally, but I was suddenly hit with a thought that made my breath catch in my throat. Where was my family?


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay I'm back after a long time! Sorry about that! I've been so busy lately but hey aren't we all! Anyways I took down the second chapter and decided to delete it and start over. I have decided that i will just stick with Lana's point of view so it doesn't get confusing. But anyways Here's the new chapter and I will try and post a new one in a little bit depending on the amount of homework I have. R&R! **

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_September 22, 1776: 12 O'clock Midnight_

I tried to control my breathing, when that thought hit me.

_Breathe, Lana, breathe. _ I told myself. My family has to be around here somewhere, they probably escaped down a different path. I repeated that to myself several times and began walking towards the tavern. Good thing I fell asleep fully clothed at my desk and not in my shift, otherwise I would freeze on a night like tonight. A strong gust of wind blew past me, and made me shiver. I walked the dark streets silently, in search of the tavern. If anyone saw my family, it would May. As innkeeper, she was the eyes and ears of the whole town.

The tavern had the same familiar smell even after all these years. I remember when my father took me here as a young girl, and he ordered his ale and talked with the important men of the town, while I sat on the bar and talked to May.

"Well I'll be darned! Lana, my dear, it's been so long since I last saw you. What five years ago, when you were twelve?" she smiled warmly at me and then squeezed me tightly. I released myself from her grasp to get a good look at her. She had the same grey hair, pulled back into a loose bun, but she did look a bit more aged than before. "Yes, it has been a long time, but I must ask you have you seen my family at all? My mother? Father?" She shook her head and gave me a sad smile. "Afraid not, but why on earth are you out this late searching for them?" "Our house was burned down and I have no place to go." I said looking down. I felt embarrassed because my father was quite well known around New York City, and here I am, his only daughter wandering around the city at night. That was just asking for problems.

"Well, you can sleep here; I couldn't let you sleep in the street. After that fire many will be looking for a place to stay, but you are always welcome here, my dear." "Thank you May! I shall repay you, once I find my family." She smiled and gestured for me to follow her to the rooms upstairs.

"Now, I hope you don't mind, but you have to share a room with other people, since all my private rooms are full." "That's fine, anywhere is better than outside." I smiled and thanked her once more before collapsing onto one of the empty beds. I instantly fell asleep and decided tomorrow I would continue my search.

As much as I wanted to sleep in, the sun shining through one of the windows located in the room made it difficult, forcing me to get up. I slid on my shoes and made my way down the steps towards the bar. May had a plate of bread and a cup of ale placed on the bar waiting for me. I began eating the moment I sat down, although it was unladylike; I had not eaten since yesterday evening.

"Did you sleep well, Lana?" May asked while wiping down the bar with a worn out rag. "Yes, thank you for letting me stay for the night." I said in between bites of bread. "It was no problem at." May then left to serve other customers, and I was left alone to finish eating.

I finished my plate of food, and made my way to the door, not before waving goodbye to May. Now I must find my parents, best to start near my home, the fire should be out by now. I moved swiftly through the alleyways and behind houses to reach my street.

The wave of shocked hit me full force causing me to take a step back. Barely anything was left, just a partial charred shell of a once two story house. Inhaling I stepped towards it to look for anything salvageable. From the looks of it, all was just ash and brick, until a glint of something shining in the sunlight caught my eye. I bent down and picked up a silver oval locket. My heart sunk. This was my mother's locket and she never took it off. No. They cannot be dead; they would have all made it out with my older brother leading them and my little sister trailing close behind my parents. I must keep searching for them. Hooking the locket around my neck, I began making my way towards the marketplace. Someone has to have seen my family, right?

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**Okay so I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! You are all the best! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! I'm back with a new chapter after a really long wait! I'm sorry I haven't updated in about 2 months. (prepares for virtual slaps) BUT i only have two more weeks left of school so that means summer is almost here which = free time. Thank you for all the follows/ reviews/ favorites! I love you guys! Again sorry about the late update high school = DEATH! but anyways here is chapter 3 with more people introduced! Yay! **

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_September 22, 1776_

After walking around for hours in search of answers, it turned out to be useless. I was back to square one with no idea to where my family was. The shouts of the town crier broke into my thoughts and my heart sunk at his words. "Well-to-do family found dead after the Great Fire! The Cambridge mansion burned to the ground, nothing remains! Read about it in today's issue of The New-York Gazette!" I felt as if all the air in my lungs had been sucked out and I was left gasping for oxygen. _God, please no, I beg you!_ I began to stumble and my legs became numb. My vision was clouded and I felt as if I was in a trance by some unknown force. I was lost in my own world until I bumped into a tall man with his black hair tied into a loose ponytail slowly receding inward at the hairline with a thick mustache.

"Pardon me, my lady." He said with a slight bow.

Something was oddly familiar about this man, but I couldn't place where I had seen him before. Friend of my father's? His name still remained lost in the depths of my mind and I didn't realize I was staring until I heard him say something.

"Oh, I'm sorry that was my fault." I said quickly, trying to end the conversation, as unladylike as it was.

"You look rather familiar, do I know you from somewhere?" the man said. I shook head no my and mumbled a goodbye along with a curtsy. I turned away and bolted for the alleyway near one of the taverns. Something about that man made my skin crawl. I kept my brisk pace up but I ended up at a dead end. Before I could retrace my steps back to the street, I heard the shuffle of feet on the gravel behind me, and the voices of approaching men.

Something felt off and then I recognized one of the men's voices as they inched closer and closer to my location. "I know she went this way. It has to be her; she has the locket. She is the only heir still living, meaning she is very valuable. Remember, Haythem wants her alive." The other man snorted and said, "Doesn't mean we can't 'play' with her first." Panic started to rise within me, and my breaths began to quicken. They're talking about me. I've heard the name Haythem mentioned by my father on several occasions. From what I had heard, he was a very influential man with a lot of money, but that wasn't important now. I scanned the alleyway and found my way out.

Stacked up near the right side of the brick wall were several barrels and crates. I began climbing to the top of the pile so that I had a good angle to jump onto a nearby windowsill. As soon as my feet left the wooden crate I began groping the air for the sill. I clamped down on the cracking wood and hoisted myself up into the opened window, only to be greeted by blackness. But now was not the time to be picky. I guess tree climbing with my brother when we were children wasn't for nothing. I peered over the edge of the window and looked down into the alleyway to observe the scene before me.

"Where'd she go? Charles, we cannot lose her!" the short burly man said, franticly scanning the alleyway. "Thomas, silence!" Charles said. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a blur of movement, but paid it no mind.

"Go back to the street and search for her there." He ordered Thomas, and then stormed off. Thomas was left in the alleyway staring at the spot where Charles once was. He shook his head and began walking towards the street. Suddenly, a dark figure landed on top in one swift motion. Before Thomas could even cry out, he was dead. I watched in horror and in amazement. Who's that? I sunk back down underneath the window, praying to myself that this man didn't see me; I didn't want the same fate.

After waiting a few moments, I peeked over the edge and relief flooded through me, the alley was empty once more. After double checking my surroundings I leaped out of the window and landed hard on the dusty alleyway. I need to find somewhere safe to rest for the night. I stopped and looked down at the dead body before me; surprisingly I felt nothing, not even the slightest amount of pity or nausea. I kept moving forward towards the street. Almost there. Then I can find a place to hide, but once again my plans were halted. Out of nowhere came a man dressed in white adorned with tribal looking accents. A hood covered his eyes and the increasing darkness of night was creeping overhead making it even more difficult to see any of his facial features. From what I could tell he was rather muscular underneath his robes, and his mouth was turned into a slight frown. My feet we glued to the ground and they felt as if they were made out of lead when I tried to lift them, so I stood stunned staring at the man before me.

"Who are you and why do the Templars want you dead?" he asked emotionlessly, but before I could answer 'I don't know' shouts rang out and men began to rush towards us screaming "There she is! Get her and kill the assassin!" before I could even react I was being dragged along by this mysterious man, and leaving the Templars in the dust. Literally.

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**Okay so that was chapter 3! I hope you all liked it and sorry its short but I haven't had the time to write long chapters so this will have to do *sigh* Anyways thank you for reading and I cannot thank you all enough for the support! **


	4. Chapter 4

_**New Chapter! Yay! I finally updated this story! Im out of school now so I will have a ton of time to update this more often! *Cheers* Anyways I hope you enjoy this chapter and please review! They encourage me to continue writing! Love you guys you are all the best!**_

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_September 22, 1776_

My body felt heavy as I was being dragged along behind this strange man. The men that were following us continued their pursuit, mustering up enough stamina to keep on our trail. My mind was racing, this was the first time I was in real danger. What's going on? Who are these men? Many questions raced through my head, but I would have to wait for my answers.

He took a sharp right turn and pulled me in after him, popping my shoulder in the process. That's going to hurt later. He then unlocked a cellar door nearby and ushered me inside the dark hole, and followed me in after.

I stood in the darkness for a few moments before the man lit a lantern. "Take this." He said gruffly shoving a piece of paper into my hand and then pointed to it. The paper was a map of what looked like a series of tunnels. "What's this for?" I asked. "Follow the map until you reach the green dot on it. Then you should find an exit, use it to get back to the street. You should be safe from there." He explained. I couldn't tell if he was looking at me or not since his white hood covered his eyes. He pointed to the tunnel ahead of me, gesturing me to walk that way, but I wasn't going to move until I found out what was going on. "Why'd you kill that man? What do those men want with me?" The man refused to answer and stood stiffly. "Can I at least know your name?" I asked, attempting to get him to answer at least one of my questions. "Conner." He said and then was gone in an instant. That was strange.

I took the lantern he had placed on one of the old beat up tables and began walking, following the path I was instructed to follow. The tunnel itself was rather small, but it had many exits, which made it rather confusing when a novice, like myself, was trying to navigate through it.

Finally, I had made it to the destination marked on the map. That was awfully rude of Conner to just leave me, but he was very odd so it didn't really surprise me when he disappeared. It, instead of a cellar door, was a ladder that led up to what I was assuming was a well.

Once I reached the top, I peered over the end to check to see if the coast was clear. Not a soul was present in the courtyard. I looked down at my light blue dress, only to see that it was splattered with mud from the tunnels and beginning to fray at the bottom. So much for keeping the new dress my mother had bought me nice. I let out a silent sigh and decided to keep walking.

What I really needed at the moment was food and some place to sleep. I tried to think of someone I could go to. My father was very well known but I did not feel comfortable going to them. I walked towards a pile of clothes situated near the well an decided this would be my bed for the night. I closed my eyes and felt myself slowly drifting into a blissful sleep. But fate had other plans in mind for me.

Before I could react, I was gagged by a yellowing handkerchief, and my hands were bound. I frantically tried to break free from my bonds but to no avail. One of my attackers was the man named Charles who was pursuing Conner and me before. The other men began dragging me forward, I dragged my feet attempting to slow them down. God, please help me. I prayed that sentence over and over again. I will not be taken, I told myself to fight, do anything to get away.

As if it were a miracle, the same, familiar shadow appeared and landed on top of Charles causing him to tumble to the ground, but before he could sink his bland in, on of the men let go of me to fight Conner. The other man loosened his grip, making this the perfect time for me to make a run for it. I kicked the man still holding onto me and ran as fast as I could towards anywhere away from here. I had to find people, crowds would be best for blending in. Luckily for me when I skidded to a halt of the sidewalk, a group of people were strolling by making their way to Cauncie's Tavern. I squeezed it the back of the crowd and kept up with the pace of the others.

Just keep moving, just keep moving. I told myself that over and over again. I followed the group inside the tavern and sat down at an unoccupied table in the corner of the room, near a roaring fire. I sat there wondering about today's events. It had happened so fast, and I was still left wondering why those men were after me. What did my mother's locket have to do with it all? I continued to think until my solitude was broken by a thud in the chair across from me. Conner.

"We need to leave now." He said, his voice cold and stern. "Did you follow me? How did you find me?" I asked startled. "I'll answer your questions later, now we must move." He said his face stone hard. I decided against arguing with him, and followed behind Conner. The pace was quickened the moment we walked outside. Now another question was added to the list, where were we going?


End file.
